Two Elementary Schools in Seoul: 7 out of 10 Students Are 'Multicultural Students'

More than 70% at Yeongdeungpo-gu Yeongnim and Daedong Elementary Schools
9 Places with Over 40%... Changes in Education Policy Too

Among elementary schools in Seoul, two schools have a multicultural student ratio exceeding 70%. The number of schools with over 40% multicultural students has reached nine, indicating an increase in multicultural students.

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Suwon Elementary School in Gyeonggi Province on July 3rd to observe the after-school care and education program 'Neulbom School,' watching Korean language classes for students with immigrant backgrounds.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 7th, Yeongnim Elementary School and Daedong Elementary School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, had multicultural student ratios of 70.93% and 70.88%, respectively, last year, both exceeding 70%.

There are nine elementary schools in Seoul, including these two, where the proportion of multicultural students exceeds 40%.

Guro Elementary School, Dongguro Elementary School, Guronam Elementary School, Yeongil Elementary School in Guro-gu; Bogwang Elementary School in Yongsan-gu; Dosin Elementary School in Yeongdeungpo-gu; and Munseong Elementary School in Geumcheon-gu all have more than four out of ten students as multicultural students.

According to the Seoul Education Statistics Yearbook, Guro-gu had the highest number of multicultural students in 2022 with 1,440 students, followed by Yeongdeungpo-gu (1,133), Geumcheon-gu (948), and Gangseo-gu (664).

Multicultural students in Seoul are concentrated in southern areas such as Yeongdeungpo-gu, Guro-gu, and Geumcheon-gu, but the number is steadily increasing in other regions as well. Gangnam-gu (174) and Seocho-gu (168) in the Gangnam area have also shown an upward trend.

As of last year, out of 380,439 elementary students in Seoul, 13,049 were multicultural students, accounting for 3.43% of the total. This is an increase of 0.34 percentage points compared to five years ago in 2019.

With the number of new elementary school students in Seoul dropping below 50,000 for the first time this year and the overall student population declining, the proportion of multicultural students is expected to grow further.

Educational policy changes reflecting this trend are also underway.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education added guidance on how teachers should approach multicultural students in the resource distributed to all public, private, and autonomous elementary schools in Seoul this year, titled "The First Step to Becoming a Happy Learner."

The material explains, "Multicultural students are also one of the students in our class with diverse characteristics," and advises, "Teachers should provide instruction tailored to the student's characteristics, understand guardians' needs through parent consultations, and be cautious about language use when necessary."

Additionally, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education conducts multicultural education for all students to support the increasing number of multicultural students. It also mandates multicultural education job training of at least 15 hours within three years for all teachers.

A representative from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "While the total number of students in Seoul is decreasing, the number of multicultural students is increasing annually. The nationalities, languages, races, and cultural backgrounds of multicultural students are becoming more diverse, and their residential areas are spreading throughout Seoul," adding, "Due to low birth rates in Korea, the proportion of multicultural students is expected to continue growing, so we will keep focusing on helping multicultural students adapt well and strengthen support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.